


Checkmate.

by RedCrimez89



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Chess, Conversations, Damian Wayne learns how to play chess, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Give me a break will ya?, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mother-Son Relationship, No Plot/Plotless, Talia al Ghul Tries, he’s very impatient smh, literally all they do is play chess and have a nice conversation, to give him a decent life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCrimez89/pseuds/RedCrimez89
Summary: Damian learns how to play chess. It doesn’t exactly click until Talia teaches him to see more than what is in front of him.
Relationships: Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	Checkmate.

**Author's Note:**

> No this is not based off the song Checkmate by Conan Gray but I did have thoughts abt it ngl.
> 
> So this all started when I decided “hey, imma learn how to play chess”. Because hey, I’ve been reading fanfics with the game and watching shows with it and it looks fun so I decided to learn. Not that I’m actually good or anything. Okay, I suck at chess but as long as I can capture a piece or two I’m happy at the end of the day. Anyways, I then was like, hey, I’m gonna use my comfort character and make him lose and suck at chess with me :D 
> 
> At the end notes I explain a couple of terms used in here so (hopefully) everyone can understand what’s going on here. Enjoy!

Mother is a very intellectual person.

It is with this reason that Damian rarely questions her orders. He knows she has been to war, knows she has incapacitated some of the most skilled individuals on the planet and knows that she is among this category of said individuals. Damian completely trusts her training style and judgement, really he does. But despite the great amount of trust he holds towards Mother and her decisions, Damian truly does not understand why she has decided to implicate the game chess into his training regimen.

Damian understands the rules of the game. He understands the goal and knows a good amount about the history, but despite all of that, he still can’t get the equation to make sense.

Because Damian is not a normal child. He was not made to play chess, or tag, or hide and go seek. Was not made for the simplicity and comfort of a normal life. He was made for much greater purposes, was created to one day rule the world with an iron fist when the time came.

For once in his life, Damian doesn’t understand.

Damian watches in frustration as Mother’s queen captures his own, retaking the spot it had originally been in. He grimaces, eyes roaming the board for his next move. He tries not to adopt a smug look when his bishop captures her queen, reclaiming the spot both queens had once been. But his victory is short lived when her knight unexpectedly swoops in and takes his last bishop. Damn it.

Damian’s jaw tightens as he catalogs the rest of his pieces. He’s got two pawns, a rook, his king, and one last knight. That versus five pawns, two rooks, a knight, and a bishop. Damian, with little choices left, decides to advance a pawn forward in hopes of getting it to the other side of the board for a promotion. He makes it one move before mother uses her bishop to capture his pawn. One pawn, a rook, a king, and a knight. He spends far too much time planning his next move, anxious to lose another valuable piece to his Mother. Damian glances up at her, unable to read the blank expression she holds. He’s doomed.

He decides to take a new approach and move his knight to the middle and then his rook when his turn comes back around. Mother hasn’t made many big changes yet. She’s only advanced her pawns and removed the bishop from the back row. He slowly advances his pawn forward as the game moves along, content no one has been captured yet. Well, until he gets a little too capture happy. One of her pawns advance to the next square which happens to be right next to his rook. Damian immediately takes the shot and captures her pawn without much thought, not realizing his mistake until it’s too late. Her knight who is sitting near by swoops over and takes his rook. One pawn, a king, and a knight.

Something in him snaps then. With a growl, Damian slams his fists onto the table, uncaring of the ancient chess pieces that topple off theboard and onto the ground. “ Enough of this stupid game already!”  


For the first time during the entire match, Damian can read his Mother’s expression. She isn’t impressed.

The magma that had seared up in his chest suddenly loses its steam and he shrinks in on himself with a sigh, reaching down to obtain the fallen pieces. Mother does the same. “ I am sorry Mother. I just - I don’t understand the purpose of this game.”

Mother simply sighs, handing him back his captured white pieces before she begins to reset the board. “ I had a feeling this conversation would come sooner or later. Here. Let me explain my son.”

She grabs his fumbling hands, pausing him in his haste to reset the board as quickly as possible. Her thumbs rub gentle circle on his skin, silently encouraging him to not be so upset with himself as well as to move at a slower pace.

Mother finishes his side of the board before beginning her explanation. “ Chess is not just a game Damian. It is much more than that.”

Mother moves a white pawn onto the center of the board. “ Chess will help you in ways training cannot. This game will teach you to strategize not only for yourself, but for your enemy.” She moves a black pawn to the middle as well, right across from whites pawn. The white pawn captures blacks pawn instantly. She resets the game again, this time bringing out the white and black queen along with a black knight and white bishop. Mother sets the pieces where they had been during the last match. “ Chess will teach you that one move,” the black queen captures white queen. “ Can ultimately lead you to another move.” White bishop captures the black queen.

The entire board is reset with ease in a way a set of practiced hands could only accomplish. “ You will learn that and much more from this game Damian, trust me.”

Mother gives him a soft smile, cupping his cheek and stroking it gently. Damian can’t help the fact he leans into the warm touch. “ Do you understand now my heart?” 

Damian nods, slightly saddened when Mother pulls away and removes herself from her seat. “ Yes Mother.” 

“ Good. Now come my son, it is time for us to feast.” Damian takes his Mother’s outstretched hand with a small smile, taking two steps for every one she takes just to be right by her side as they walk down the halls and towards the dining room.

* * *

Mothers black pawn reaches his side of the board. She promotes the piece to a Queen immediately and then it’s Damian turn to move. Damian observes the board and its pieces, slowly taking in the scene set before him. After planning out the most efficient and effective moves for both him and Mother, he’s ready to strike. He moves his queen to a dark square two rows below the edge of the board,  successfully putting black king in check. Mother simply moves her king to the right in order to avoid checkmate. Damian moves his Queen all the way up to the left corner of the board, putting her king in check again. With no other choice than to defend, she moves her black queen right next to his in order to block. Damian swiftly captures the back queen and once again, the king is in check. And with two of his other pieces in the perfect positions to put the king in check if it were to move, Damian calls checkmate. He smirks at his Mother’s slightly shocked expression, which slowly morphs into a proud look Damian strives to get every single day.

“ I’m proud of you Damian.”

“ Thank you Mother. I am also proud of myself as well. Would you like to play another match?”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope most of the chess part makes sense? I’m no professional at chess, barely even a beginner, but I do know the pieces and rules when I’m not actually playing a game lol. It’s like all my knowledge just zaps out of me I swear. I listed a couple terms below that may help you understand the story a little better if you don’t know much about chess, but if your still confused and have questions, feel free to ask! 
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are highly encouraged as always :) 
> 
> Promotion- Promotion happens when a pawn ( looks like this ♟) makes it to the opposite side of the board. If they do make it to their enemies side of the board, the pawn must evolve into another piece. The pawn can become a queen, bishop, knight, or rook. Never a king. 
> 
> Check - this is basically when one of the  
> yours or the enemies pieces are threatening to capture the your/ their king. Depending on who owns the king in check, they will have to find a way to avoid the check and if they don’t, the other player wins and calls checkmate. You can get out of check by moving the king away from check, capturing the piece that has the king in check, or block the check with another piece.
> 
> Checkmate- this is what happens after check. If you/ your opponent cannot make another move without still being in check, then you win the game and say checkmate.


End file.
